The alpha myth is everywhere. Google “alpha dog” on the Internet and you get more than 85 million hits. Really. While not all the sites are about dominating your dog, there are literally millions of resources out there – websites, books, blogs, television shows, veterinarians, trainers and behavior professionals – instructing you to use force and intimidation to overpower your dog into submission. They say that you, the human, must be the alpha. They’re all wrong. Every single one of them.

Adopting Your First Puppy: What You Need to Know

Thinking about bringing a puppy home for the first time? Beyond their adorable faces and playful antics, adopting a puppy is a long-term commitment—often 12 to 18 years! First-time puppy parents need to consider everything from daily care and socialization to early training and establishing routines. With the right preparation and guidance, you can set your puppy up for a happy, well-behaved life from the very beginning.

Get tips from a certified professional dog trainer to help your new puppy settle in, learn good habits, and grow into a confident, well-adjusted companion.

As a dog trainer who advocates for taking your dog on new adventures, one of the things I love most about living in Echo Park, Los Angeles is that it is filled to the brim with dog-friendly places to go.

So, if you have a bored dog at home, I recommend exploring the city with them whenever you can, and here are a few of my favorite, east side, dog-friendly hotspots.

How to Stop a Dog from Barking

Dogs and puppies bark for many different reasons—attention, boredom, fear, or excitement. The first step in reducing excessive barking is understanding why your dog is barking. Different causes of barking require different training approaches, so identifying the root reason is essential for applying effective, positive reinforcement strategies. Get expert tips from a certified professional dog trainer to help your dog bark less and be calmer.

How to Train Your Dog or Puppy to Settle Down

Doggie decompression uses gentle restraint or controlled confinement to help a dog or puppy learn to relax and settle. This technique can be an effective step in managing behaviors like hyperactivity and even separation anxiety. Learn positive, science-based strategies from a certified professional dog trainer to help your dog stay calm, confident, and comfortable when left alone or in stimulating environments.

Dog Training Tips: Learning how your dog thinks and makes decisions is the “KEY” to getting your dog to do what you want, when you want, without the need for yelling, intimidation or constant supervision.

Dog Training Los Angeles: It’s Your Choice (IYC) is a critical core foundation game because it sets the stage for teaching self-control over all future reinforcers (reinforcers = anything your dog likes or enjoys). It teaches our dogs that all things of value must be earned. The premise of the game is that the “work” is what earns the reward not just the presence of those rewards in the environment.

Dog Trainer Alexandra Bassett demonstrates how to train a dog to walk with a loose leash, meaning that they’ve learned not to pull you in order to get where they want to go,. Leash manners are taught in incremental steps starting by teaching a dog how to respond to leash tension, know as “leash communication,” and where you want them to position themselves while walking on a leash, which can be achieved by playing stationary and moving reinforcement zone games..

Dog separation anxiety is one of the most stressful behavior challenges for both dogs and their guardians. It occurs when a dog experiences overwhelming panic the moment they’re left alone, often leading to destructive or even dangerous behaviors. By learning to recognize the signs, understand the root causes, and apply proven treatment strategies, you can help your dog build lasting calm and confidence.

Common Symptoms of Separation Anxiety in Dogs

• Barking, howling, or whining shortly after you leave

• Destructive chewing, digging, or scratching at doors and windows

• Pacing, drooling, or panting triggered by pre-departure cues (like grabbing keys)

• House-soiling despite reliable potty training

• Escape attempts that may cause injuries such as broken teeth or nails

What Causes Dog Separation Anxiety?

• Pack instincts that compel a dog to follow you

• Missed early independence training during puppyhood or adoption (crate or playpen training)

• Sudden lifestyle changes—new job hours, moving homes, or new family members

• Past trauma, including rehoming, shelter stays, or sudden abandonment

• Lack of physical exercise or mental stimulation in daily life

Treatment and Prevention Strategies

• Gradual desensitization and counterconditioning to reduce stress around departures

• Enrichment tools like food-stuffed toys and chews to keep your dog engaged when confined

• Predictable routines and calming departure cues to prevent anxiety spikes

• Guidance from a certified trainer or veterinary behaviorist; medication or calming aids when recommended

• A balanced daily schedule combining exercise, training, and restful downtime

By addressing separation anxiety with science-backed, positive reinforcement methods, you’ll turn stressful goodbyes into calm departures—and give your dog the confidence to thrive when home alone.

Dog lovers get ready: America’s first art exhibition for dogs, dOGUMENTA, debuts at FIGat7th in DTLA this September!

Puppy training tips from a Los Angeles dog trainer: Puppy training can start as soon as you bring your pup home and can be as simple as taking a few minutes at mealtimes to create positive associations with your pup’s name, a slap to your thigh, and a pointed finger. 

Dog & Puppy Training Tips: Dogs are social creatures that benefit from being included in family activities. However, if a dog is afraid of fireworks, Independence Day can be a terrifying experience for them. To ensure the 4th of July doesn't turn into a traumatic experience for both you and your dog, it's important to have a plan for keeping your dog safe and comfortable when the fireworks go off. Here are some tips from a Los Angeles dog trainer on how to get your dog or puppy ready for Independence Day.

Doodle dogs are fast becoming the most popular dog breed in America because of their friendly nature and hypo-allergenic and low-shedding coats. There are many kinds of Doodle dog breeds of various sizes depending on the Poodle variant with which they are mixed, however the most popular are the Goldendoodle, the Labradoodle, and the Double Doodle.

Puppy training requires structure, consistency, and patience. Get a professional dog trainer’s 5 top puppy training tips and mistakes to avoid when bringing a new puppy home. Being prepared from the start is the key to successful puppy training!

Debunking the “Alpha Dog” Myth: Modern, Effective Dog Training Tips from a Certified Professional Dog Trainer

Leash reactive dogs—those that bark, growl, or lunge at other dogs or people while on a leash—are increasingly common in urban areas and busy cities. For years, many dog owners were taught the outdated “alpha dog” theory, which suggested that dominating your dog was the key to control.

Science-based training shows a better way. Positive, reward-based methods foster trust, communication, and cooperation, teaching dogs desirable behaviors without fear or intimidation.

By abandoning dominance-based approaches, dog owners can tackle leash reactivity, jumping, and aggression more effectively—building stronger, healthier, and more respectful bonds with their dogs.

Puppy Training Tips: How to Socialize Your Puppy Before They’re Fully Vaccinated

Socialization is how you help your puppy build positive associations with the world around them during their critical early development stage—between 4 and 16 weeks of age. But if your puppy hasn’t had all their shots yet, how can you safely expose them to new people, sounds, and environments? We’ll show you how.

At Dog Savvy, we believe dog training should be fun, easy, and effective. One of our favorite games? Hide & Seek. This simple game takes little effort but delivers big results—boosting your dog’s recall skills by creating strong, positive associations with coming when called. You can play it anytime, anywhere, and your pup will love it.

How to teach a puppy not to bite starts with consistency and positive training. The key is knowing how to respond the moment your puppy bites, so you can set clear boundaries and build respectful, gentle play habits. In this guide, you’ll learn proven techniques like redirection, chew toy training, and calm timeouts to stop puppy biting without punishment. Plus, get expert tips from a certified dog trainer to help your puppy grow into a well-mannered, bite-free companion.

Understanding how consequences affect your dog is all you need to know to train your dog like an expert dog trainer. So how do you correct a dog using positive reinforcement dog training methods? Find that out and more on the Dog Savvy’s dog training blog ...

Dogs have a variety of ways of communicating how they feel, but humans often don't recognize the signals. Learn more about “calming signals” and how dogs communicate from a certified professional dog trainer.